| If you have made the decision to sell your | | | | real estate agent. If a Potential Buyer is |
| home yourself and save the money you would | | | | working with a Realtor, always leave your |
| pay a realtor you need to make sure your | | | | house for a few minutes while the Realtor is |
| homes shows itself in the best positive way. | | | | showing it. |
| The following is a list of tips and tricks to | | | | |
| help you prepare your home for selling. | | | | Run to the market or to a neighbor's house. |
| | | | Remember, buying a house is an emotional |
| TIP # 1 | | | | experience. The buyer's agent will tend to |
| | | | feel awkward inspecting the house while you |
| First impressions are always critical, and | | | | are there. You are not obligated to pay a |
| your driveway is part of that first | | | | real estate commission to a buyers agent. |
| impression. Calling a professional to come | | | | That will be the responsibility of the buyer. |
| out and clean up stains can be very costly | | | | |
| but here's a quick tip that may be the | | | | TIP # 5 |
| solution for your cement driveway: try Drano | | | | |
| or any high-powered liquid drain cleaner and | | | | Price may be a sensitive issue but it is the |
| sweep those oil stains away! | | | | one thing that will sell your house faster |
| | | | than anything else. If you price your house |
| This simple technique does an amazingly good | | | | right in line with the market it's not likely |
| job of making your driveway look new again! | | | | to sell quickly. That's because only the 10% |
| Please use caution and read all | | | | or 20% of houses with the best prices are |
| manufacturers' warnings before you begin this | | | | selling each month. |
| task. | | | | |
| | | | If the price of your house isn't in that |
| TIP # 2 | | | | lower 20%, relatively, then it isn't likely |
| | | | to sell as quickly. It's not what your house |
| If your home is decorated in dark or unusual | | | | is worth but what someone is willing to pay. |
| colors, you're going to scare off a lot of | | | | Every shopper is bound and determined to get |
| potential buyers. It will be worth your while | | | | the best deal in town. Do you honestly feel |
| to paint your walls a neutral color. | | | | your price makes your house one of the best |
| | | | deals in town? Now is a good time to compare |
| Builders are experts at preparing homes for | | | | your house with others on the market in the |
| quick sales, so learn from them! If you're | | | | same area. |
| not up to painting your entire house, at | | | | |
| least paint the areas that make the biggest | | | | TIP # 6 |
| impression, such as the entry/foyer, living | | | | |
| room, dining room, kitchen and master | | | | When you are ready to sell your home it's |
| bedroom. | | | | always a good idea to have the carpets |
| | | | cleaned. A clean home will always sell faster |
| TIP # 3 | | | | and you should accentuate the fact that you |
| | | | have a clean home. Even if you don't have |
| Take as many of your personal items (i.e., | | | | your carpets cleaned you can leave a few |
| clothes, shoes, stored boxes) as possible out | | | | pairs of shoes just inside the front door. |
| of your closet and store them in an | | | | This will imply that you don't wear shoes in |
| out-of-the-way place. When your closets are | | | | the house and deliver the message to the |
| cleaned up they will look much larger to the | | | | potential buyer that you are meticulous about |
| potential home buyer! Abundant closet/storage | | | | the appearance of your house as soon as they |
| space is a major selling point for most | | | | walk in the front door! |
| people. | | | | |
| | | | These are just a few ideas to give you the |
| Apply this rule to any storage area. | | | | best chance at selling your home yourself. |
| | | | Remember, you can save thousands of dollars |
| TIP # 4 | | | | in realtor fees by doing the work yourself. |
| | | | No one knows your home better than you do. |
| Some potential buyers will be working with a | | | | Good luck in selling your home. |